Conventional elevator cabs are equipped with a door hatch in the car top for emergency access and rescue. When the car enclosure is equipped with a drop ceiling, this ceiling must also provide for a means of access that is in alignment with the door hatch in the car top. This means of access is presented in a variety of designs. For example, when a solid drop ceiling is present, a portion of that ceiling must be removable. Most commonly, this removable portion is lifted out of its position and stored in the cavity between the drop ceiling and the car top or removed entirely and stored on the car top. In any case, this removable portion must be properly secured so that it cannot inadvertently be released into the car enclosure. This design presents a number of drawbacks. When the removable portion of ceiling is stored in the cavity between the drop ceiling and car top, additional space is necessary to allow for the storage of the hatch. If the hatch is removed to the car top, it will also require a storage space which may be limited on the car top where personnel are also present. In both of these cases, the hatch is also susceptible to damage during storage. When lighting fixtures are present in the hatch, there are additional drawbacks of having to accommodate the lighting fixtures and associated wiring as well, often requiring that the lighting equipment be disconnected prior to removal. In some cases, it may be possible to hinge this removable portion either upwards or downwards. However, a number of conditions make this less common. In examples that are hinged upwards, the hatch must be smaller and aligned with the access panel in the car top. There normally exists a limitation to this due to the required minimal size of the opening. A downward hinged panel is normally limited by the requirement that when in the down position, the panel must be a minimum of 80 inches above the floor. While a hinged opening access door may avoid some of the drawbacks by eliminating the need to disconnect the lighting and wiring, the aesthetics of the interior of the elevator cab will suffer due to the obvious location of the access door.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved elevator door hatches. The present invention meets this need.